Sofie Lindskov Hansen

Describe your field of work and current role 
I am working in a spin-out company from my previous research group at the Niels Bohr Institute, commercializing single-photon sources based on quantum dots in nanophotonic waveguides. With a PhD in quantum photonics I have a thorough understanding of the technology and how it can be applied in quantum computation and communication. As a quantum business developer I spend most of my time finding the best ways of utilizing our technology to push fundamental and applied science to the next level – especially within fields of life science and health care.

What has your path been from starting at university until today?
I completed my M.Sc in physics from the Niels Bohr Institute in 2013, and went straight on to do a PhD in the same research group where I had done my masters. After 4 years I had a Ph.D. and a daughter, and I decided to exchange single photons for X-ray photons as I started as a medical physicist at the Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear medicine, and PET at Rigshospitalet. After 4 years I had a degree in medical physics – specializing in Diagnostic Radiology – and a son. However, I missed quantum physics and joined my former research group as a postdoc. I was excited to be back in quantum but not too excited about academia, so I left the university in favor of a start-up working with quantum technology – initially Kvantify, but today I work in Sparrow Quantum on the very technology that I worked on during my masters, PhD and postdoc.

What can be done to strengthen applied STEM research & innovation in Denmark?
By fostering industry-academia collaborations and providing funding opportunities for such collaborations will play a significant role in translating the brilliant research from the universities into an industrial setting where it can be scaled and matured into a level where it can be more readily applied. By bringing the results of STEM research into society by means of an industrial intermediary and applying it in relevant fields will demonstrate the importance and impact of STEM and highlight the importance of these collaborations. The YATSI initiative aligns perfectly with this ambition.

What will you use your YATSI membership for? 
I will use my YATSI membership to inspire future STEM researchers and entrepreneurs by demonstrating that this is an area that allows for creativity and inventiveness, and that you don’t have to be a specific type of person to feel like a fish in the water in STEM research and innovation. And then I look forward to spending quality time in good company, and perhaps even getting or sparking some new ideas. We’ll see.

Who's the person behind the member?
I am a huge fan of Swedish electronica, and before having children I enjoyed scuba diving and whisky tastings. Now I have 3 kids, so scuba diving has turned into weekly visits to the shallow end of the public swimming pool, and whisky tastings has turned into communal dining at the kindergarten.